The Exalt Cultivation Fantasy

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 336: Welcome Back, Celestina

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 336: Welcome Back, Celestina

Oscar followed Phillip through the grand halls of the Inner Sanctum, skipping over moats of lava and turning corners around the vast crystal trees. Awkwardly, he averted his eyes away from Esther and Simon, not wanting to be reminded of the blood on his hands.

"Are Frederick and the others there?" Oscar breathed slowly to compose himself.

"Unfortunately, no. Eleanor is missing as well, which is quite concerning. Her illusions and healing are of great asset to us. It's a pity you're not a Greater Elite Exalt yet. I'd want to see how powerful you'd be in the Greater Elite Exalt realm." Phillip eyed Oscar with a spark of interest, gripping his sword anima.

"We haven't been able to fight each other for a while, not since you kept advancing." Oscar scratched his cheek, feeling the fighting intent rising from Phillip's gaze. "Oh, before, I fought the swordsman of the Hyrin family."Ne/w novel chapters are p/u/blished on

"Those bastards?" Phillip bared his teeth almost as if he had fangs, and his eyes went bloodshot. Ein pulsed dangerously from Phillip's body. Phillip's expression returned to normal with a scoff. "I heard he's dead now."

"Dead? Where did you hear that from?" Oscar's eyes widened. His heart sank, feeling a numbness spreading out from his chest. Was he exposed?

"One of the people we found told us about how he entered a strange board game trial in the lava chamber. He described the other players, and I knew one was Regis Hyrin." Phillip explained as they sped up, fighting their way past other beasts, a trivial task to their combined might.

"A board game...that sounds interesting...." Oscar forced another smile as sweat ran down his back.

"He told me the one who killed Regis was a man in a fabricator uniform, wielding a hammer. The odd thing is he killed a person from every faction, so there's no telling who he truly is and which faction he belongs to." Phillip glanced at Oscar. "They said his means were brutal, crushing people's heads as they screamed."

Oscar turned away from Phillip with a dark expression. His brows wrinkled, and he seemed to age several years. Stressed beyond his limits, Oscar put down the instinct to confess it was him, wanting to keep it under wraps. He hoped Phillip would stop talking.

"The main suspect is Orden of the Earth Core Academy. However, the height doesn't match. I would like to fight this unknown fabricator. To defeat Regis is no easy feat. The Hyrin family is equal to my own, and we've been bitter enemies since the start, wanting to crush the others' blades and pride." Phillip chuckled. He reveled in the idea of new enemies to fight and overcome with his sword.

Oscar chuckled weakly. For now, no one suspected him, and he didn't want to be treated as an enemy by his allies. Though it could be written off as an unfortunate accident, the dissent would surely grow against him.

"One suspect brought up was you." Phillip stroked his chin.

Rumblings of shock blasted in Oscar's mind. His neck creaked like broken wood toward Phillip as he glanced with shaky eyes and clenched teeth.

"It was brought up as a joke by Charles but the princess and I shot that down. There's no way you would do something so cruel." Phillip patted Oscar on the back.

"Haha. Charles has a strange sense of humor...." Oscar didn't know how much more of this his heart could take. Where was the blasted place? They had been running for thirty minutes now without any signs of people.

After ten minutes, Phillip stopped in front of a room, nodding to Oscar and the others. "Here we are. We are gathered in three rooms in total. The two opposite from us is also ours. Gilbert wanted to follow the princess into the same room, but she rejected it with the logic that each room needed a leader."

"Shouldn't you be in the room, leading the others?" Oscar wanted to avoid Celestina for now. He didn't know how to face her after what Demon did.

"Shouldn't a Middle Elite Exalt avoid wandering alone? You must be accompanied by a few others, and I can't let you go alone." Celestina slipped by, arriving by Oscar's side. With her usual bright smile, she waved her finger in a rebuking manner. "We need to fight together in this place."

"I..." Oscar sighed. He couldn't argue against her forceful manner. "...do what you please."

"AWOOOOOO!"

Howls reached Oscar and Celestina, who covered their ears. The howls had a dizzying effect on his mind, but Oscar surged his Ein and bit his tongue from fear of Demon's repossession. He couldn't allow that, not in front of Celestina.

Snarls and scrapes followed the howls. Across the hall, a pack of wolves gazed with malice toward Oscar and Celestina. They were strange beasts made of gnarled winter branches with dead leaves falling down their withered husks. Two wolves were at the helm, emanating the power of Greater Elite Exalts.

Oscar activated his Prinstyct, unable to pierce through their beast eidolons. Celestina summoned her dragon anima, which roared a shockwave of pressure. Oscar nearly buckled down from the heavy pressure she gave off.

"Oscar, take care of the ones in the back. I'll take on the two in the front." Celestina smiled as the wolves descended upon them.

Oscar swerved behind with his deer anima and unleashed a fearsome Ripple Shroud to force some away. Celestina locked herself into combat with the larger wolves, stabbing several large blades of light into one and bombarding the other with her Starfall.

She waited by the side after finishing off her enemies, watching Oscar. Oscar cursed at how easily she dispatched the two, but he wasn't far behind either. He crushed several wolves into a mess of branches and riddled others with exploding Silver Stars. With a final bash of his bulwark, he squashed the last onto the wall.

"Well done," Celestina clapped. "You've gotten far stronger than before. I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"Thanks. But I still have a long way to go to catch up to you." Oscar stared at the remains of the larger wolves, fearing anyone who might slight her. They would be met with a flood of light impaling them.

Oscar returned his gaze to Celestina, only to find she had a serious expression. Her stern look numbed his mind, and her lips formed a frown. Staring into her powerful emerald eyes, Oscar gulped. "What is it?"

"Why did you kill one of the Pavilion's students during the board game?"

"What?" Oscar forced out a single word. His posture stiffened, feeling disorientated from her sudden question.

Celestina sighed. A fierce light shone in her eyes, not allowing any lies or excuses. "Why did you kill him?"